Abstract
Black shales possessing high concentrations of organic carbon1 were deposited in many parts of the proto South Atlantic Ocean during the Cretaceous period2. The way such sediments accumulated is not fully understood, but is likely to have occurred through a combination of low oxygen availability and abundant supply of organic matter. Thin, centimetre-thick layers of black shales are commonly interbedded with thicker layers of organic carbon-deficient, green claystones, as found in strata of Aptian to Coniacian age, at Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 530, in the southern Angola Basin3 and elsewhere. These differences in carbon content and colour reflect the conditions of deposition, and possibly variations in the supply of organic matter4,5. We have compared, using organic geochemical methods the compositions of organic matter in three pairs of closely-bedded black and green Cenomanian claystones obtained from Site 530. Kerogen analyses and distributions of biological markers show that the organic matter of the black shales is more marine and better preserved than that of the green claystones.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Foresman, J. B. Init. Rep. DSDP 40, 557–567 (1978).
Bolli, H. M. et al. Init. Rep. DSDP 40, 357–455 (1978).
Hay, W. W. et al. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 93, 1038–1050 (1982).
Summerhayes, C. P. & Masran, T. C. Init. Rep. DSDP 76, 469–480 (1983).
Dean, W. E. & Gardner, J. V. in Nature and Origin and Cretaceous Carbon-rich Facies (eds Schlanger, S. O. & Citas, M. B.) 55–78 (Academic, London, 1982).
Degens, E. T. & Mopper, K. in Chemical Oceanography 2nd edn (eds Riley, J. P. & Chester, R.) 5, 59–113 (Academic, London, 1976).
Demaison, G. J. & Moore, G. T. Org. Geochem. 2, 9–31 (1980).
Muller, P. J. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 41, 756–776 (1977).
Nohara, M., Ishizuka, T. & Gieskes, J. M. Init. DSDP 75, 1951–1054 (1984).
Deroo, G., Herbin, J. P. & Huc, A. Y. Init. Rep. DSDP 75, 983–999 (1984).
Rullkotter, J., Mukhopadhyay, P. K. & Welte, D. H. Init. Rep. DSDP 75, 1069–1087 (1984).
Katz, B. L. Init. Rep. DSDP 75, 1031–1034 (1984).
Hatcher, P. G., Spiker, E. C., Szeverenyi, N. M. & Maciel, G. E. Nature 305, 498–501 (1983).
Meyers, P. A., Trull, T. W. & Kawka, O. E. Init. Rep. DSDP 75, 1009–1018 (1984).
Brassell, S. C. Nature 305, 1019–1030 (1983).
Simoneit, B. R. T. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 41, 463–476 (1977).
Aquino Neto, F. R., Trendel, J. M., Restle, A., Connan, J. & Albrecht, P. A., in Advances in Organic Geochemistry 1981 (ed. Bjorøy, M. 659–667 (Wiley, Chichester, 1983).
Mackenzie, A. S. et al. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 44, 1709–1721 (1980).
Dean, W. E., Arthur, M. A. & Stow, D. A. V. Init. Rep. DSDP 75, 819–844 (1984).
Thiede, J. & van Andel, T. H. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 33, 301–309 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Meyers, P., Leenheer, M., Kawka, O. et al. Enhanced preservation of marine-derived organic matter in Cenomanian black shales from the southern Angola Basin. Nature 312, 356–359 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/312356a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/312356a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.